[Oligarch]

Hi All,

Had an unfortunate incident with my brand new 2023 x45e delivered just a few months back.

A few days ago, I started getting error messages when starting the car about a “Parking Assist Malfunction.”

Looked around, and didn’t see any damage to the bumper, or indeed any soiling that would suggest it was an issue with the sensors being caked in mud.

We’re expecting our first child early next week, so I was stretched thin with so many things going on that I only wrote into my rep this morning with the timestamped photo from the day I got the first error message asking how we go about getting it looked at. Unfortunately, I only took a photo from inside the car of the screen with the error message, not of the outside.

Then this afternoon, I took my wife and mother-in-law for lunch. We parked at a meter, and I made sure as usual that there was decent space between my car and the one behind.

We got home, went up and I came down to put some stuff in the car, and noticed a gash in the bumper. It wasn’t just a light scratch/dent, but puncture in the plastic.

What’s the best course of action from here?

If I file a police report and make an insurance claim, does that result in a stain on CarFax? Do they differentiate between major accidents and something like this bumper damage?

My concern with taking this car as is to BMW is that they claim that it’s not under warranty.

If I go to a third-party body shop to repair, and then go to BMW for the Parking Assist, does that invalidate the warranty?

I basically would like this resolved in a way that doesn’t screw me on resale or create problems with fixing something that was well within warranty prior to the hit and run.

Any guidance appreciated, as this is my first time owning a car, and just been terrible luck with the timing/sequencing of all of this.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[MJBradley1967]

I don't think any manufacturer covers accident damage under warranty. It's hard enough to get them to cover actual warranty problems without a fight. Though if you have it repaired at the dealer, at least they should guarantee/warranty their own work.

I would absolutely file a police report, they may be able to find camera footage if any exists, from a nearby building.

Not sure about whether a no-fault insurance claim shows up on Carfax or not.

[LarsOtium]

I've found honesty is the best policy. Tell the dealer about the error, show them your picture with date and then tell them before could bring car in someone hit you.

Either they believe you or they don’t. Either way, get it fixed at dealer and move on. I would not take a new car, under warranty, to anyone, but an authorized dealer.

As to insurance I guess would depend on dollar amount on whether to make a claim.

[TurtleBoy]

File a police report, take it to the dealer to get everything fixed and let your insurance handle it (assuming it will be a few thousand and you don't want to pay for it). Get your vehicle back to the way it was and don't worry about the CarFax. That may or may not make a difference in the future and CarFax information comes from many sources not just insurance companies so whether you report it to them or not won't matter on the CarFax report.

[GerryC]

I had a 6 month old 330i about 5 years ago. Got the left rear quarter scraped by a pickup truck while parked. Fortunately, the perpetrator left contact info for their insurance. It took a while to get the insurance company to respond as they wouldn't do anything until they got verification directly from her that she did the damage.

Aside from that, I filed an accident report with the sheriff and the state DMV. Her insurer sent me to their adjuster (a body shop). When I checked my dealer, they told me they won't do insurance claims for body work as insurance pays body shop rates, not dealer rates. My SA then referred me to the BMW certified body shop they use. I took it there and a week or so later got it back, after signing the insurance check over to them. The fender looked like new.

I worried a bit about the claim showing on the Carfax and hurting the value. I traded it about 18 months ago. At the time the Carfax did not show the claim or the repair. The dealer gave me mid-blue book for the trade. Just get it fixed.

Gerry

[BlueSander]

Like GerryC said above, most dealers don't do insurance claims. You can just call your dealer asking them what bodyshop they use and there you have a trusted place to have your car fixed.

If you file with your insurance, there is a high chance it will show up on Carfax. An accident will be an accident regardless someone hit you on the road at 40mph or a small fender bender in a parking lot.

If I were you, I would find the shop, get a quote and decide from there. A bumper replacement + repaint may not be cheap, however, it's simple enough where you can have the dealer taking care of the error code after.

[gqgambler]

Keep records of the repair. Some dealers like it when trading in/selling so they have proof it was truly a minor as carfax doesn't provide any details. Don't worry about whether it shows or doesn't on carfax. You pay for insurance so its up to you to decide if you want to use it, your policy, state/location, claim history, driving record, and insurance company will play a roll on if your rates go up for a no fault claim. Don't over think it, but get it repaired by dealer or authorized repair shop as the car is still under warranty.

[TheACN]

Sounds like bad luck. At this point I would negotiate with the insurer to have bmw fix the damage (Some insist on their contracted facility). Depending on what caused the parking malfunction that happened prior to the bumper hit, they may combine that fix in the insurance bill. When they read codes, if that turns out to be a module error and not a sensor, I don't think they would add that to insurance bill.

[BeemerDreamerNYC]

If you get the car repaired I am not sure there is any way to guarantee it is not reported to carfax. Similar thing happened to me, car was hit in my garage when it was a few months old. Luckily I came down right around when it happened and the person was still there (the attendant had been dealing with it before then). The other parties insurance covered the whole thing (repair at BMW dealership… so I am not sure why you think insurance wouldn’t cover that), they paid the dealership directly, as well as a rental car - which I managed to get them to go up to a Range Rover as an “equivalent” vehicle. The entire thing was around 10k payout from their insurance, but no claim on mine. The the accident shows up on carfax as a minor repair, though that dings the resale value regardless. Next time I would also go after their insurance for a diminished value payout. Live and learn.

[Scientifix]

Doesn’t the drive recorder feature help here? Or does the X5 video doesn’t record when parked (unlike Tesla which records it all the time). And hence called “drive” recorder?
I guess the big battery in a EV helps for this and not possible for an ICE car? But thought should be possible to do that in 45e, no?

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by Scientifix

Doesn’t the drive recorder feature help here? Or does the X5 video doesn’t record when parked (unlike Tesla which records it all the time). And hence called “drive” recorder?
I guess the big battery in a EV helps for this and not possible for an ICE car? But thought should be possible to do that in 45e, no?

The Drive Recorder will only automatically save a recording when it senses an accident while driving. Technically I think it may be while the engine is running and you don't need to be in gear.

[Scientifix]

I see. Just curious - Does the iX record even when the vehicle is parked (as it’s the EV and it has the battery big enough to be able to do this). My friend with a model Y was able to go back to the video recording and identify who backed up and hit his car when it was parked in a parking lot. That person had left silently without notifying anyone or leaving a note. In fact he noticed the dent only 24-48 hours later. But he was able to get the registration plate of the other car from the video recording and inform the police; and got that other person to pay for his damages. He was so relieved!

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by Scientifix

I see. Just curious - Does the iX record even when the vehicle is parked (as it’s the EV and it has the battery big enough to be able to do this). My friend with a model Y was able to go back to the video recording and identify who backed up and hit his car when it was parked in a parking lot. That person had left silently without notifying anyone or leaving a note. In fact he noticed the dent only 24-48 hours later. But he was able to get the registration plate of the other car from the video recording and inform the police; and got that other person to pay for his damages. He was so relieved!

No it does not, the Drive Recorder operates the same for all models. The iX does have the Anti-Theft camera but that is for the interior.